Ursula von der Leyen urges ‘emergency mindset’ in response to US decision to enter bilateral talks with Russia

Europe’s security is “at a turning point”, the president of the European Commission has said, as leaders from major European powers prepared to meet in Paris for emergency talks on their role in an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.

After last week’s shock move by the US to sideline Kyiv and its European backers from peace negotiations, Ursula von der Leyen said the issue was “about Ukraine – but also about us. We need an urgency mindset. We need a surge in defence. And we need both of them now.”

The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, echoed her sentiments, telling reporters before heading to the French capital: “This isn’t just about the frontline in Ukraine. It’s the frontline of Europe and of the UK. It’s about our national security.”

Starmer added: “We need to step up in terms of our collective response in Europe. And by that, I mean capability, by that I mean playing our full part when it comes to the defence of the sovereignty of Ukraine if there’s a peace agreement.”

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  • barsoap@lemm.eeEnglish
    54·
    5 days ago

    I can’t disprove that I’m part of the Romanian government without revealing personally identifiable information. This is called arguing in bad faith and violates the rules of this community. Read the tab on your right. Furthermore, this is an attack on my character, not my argument.

    Dude, you’re speaking as if you’re representing all of Romania. IDGAF if you’re in government or not, I assume, and assumed, you to be not.

    The point stands, though: “Romania is complaining that there should be a EU summit, well then Romania should bloody call one”.

    You are speaking nonsense. If we had to have a plan precooked before we could be invited, what’s the point of the brainstorming session? Did all those 8 countries have a fucking plan too?

    Before you can do A EU summit. This 8-country one is not a EU one. At a EU summit, actual results will be expected, not everyone wailing, in chorus, “oh, what should be done, what should we do”.

    If it’s just about signaling that the UK is in the fray, why invite a bunch of EU members to the backdoor meeting? We would have seen each other in the regularly scheduled summit, right?

    How close are your ties with the UK? I presume France prepared the list together with the UK, those are the ones the UK would want to be on one page before getting serious. In particular, the UK wants boots on the ground, Poland doesn’t want to do that themselves – to, honestly, my surprise. They’ll have to at least agree on a rationale for a difference in stance that doesn’t look silly.

    It was never about strategic relevance, because then Romania, Bulgaria and Greece would have been invited.

    Strategy is not just military tactics.

    We’re brainstorming, right? If America isn’t selling drones anymore, gotta get 'em from somewhere. You’re just arrogantly writing off a supplier.

    America is very unlikely to stop selling: Their military-industrial complex is already worried about losing arms sales, blocking arms sales now would cement that, they’d never get the market back. Generally speaking the EU also doesn’t need suppliers to defeat Russia, wouldn’t even have to switch to a war economy, just tax some billionaires.